Why does it seem every federal agency in the country has their own law enforcement authority? Why do all these bureaucratic branches maintain heavily armed police apparatuses?

Recently, federal agencies have been making huge ammunition purchases.

Here’s a (probably) incomplete list of all the federal agencies with armed police forces:

• Homeland Security (this one I understand)

• Department of Health and Human Services

• Department of Energy

• U.S. Agency for International Development

• Commerce Department

• U.S. Postal Service

• Department of Agriculture

• Environmental Protection Agency

• Internal Revenue Service

• Social Security Administration

• Department of Education

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

I understand the need to enforce federal law. And some of these agencies can investigate serious federal crimes (like the Post Office), but can’t these agencies have the US Marshals Serviceperform their law enforcement duties? Isn’t that what its purpose is?

NOAA claims they need armed agents to enforce “marine resources” and “international treaties.” Isn’t that what the Coast Guard is for? The Office of Law Enforcement has 134 agents. But therequest for 46,000 rounds of hollow-point bullets was designated for the National Weather Service. NOAA now claims this was a clerical error.

Think 46,000 is a lot? Last year, the Social Security Administration made a request for 174,000 rounds of .357 hollow-point bullets.

And i n the last year, the Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.6 billion (with a “b”) rounds of ammunition.

(On a side note, breitbart.com attempted to dispel the notion that 1.6 billion rounds is excessive. They claim “DHS agencies train quarterly, with an expectation of using 1,000 rounds per year per firearm for training and qualifications, while an officer may never fire a single round from their firearm on duty.” Perhaps this is true. So 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition divided by 1,000 rounds per year for training means there are 1.6 million DHS agents?)

Perhaps this is another conspiracy for Alex Jones to wrap his website around and not a preparation for a totalitarian state.

Even if it’s not, somebody needs to explain why seemingly every federal agency is up-arming to the hilt.